Thursday, August 30, 2012

nyc summer streets

Three Saturdays during the month of August, the city shut down almost seven miles of roadway in Manhattan for Summer Streets. Park Avenue was completely open to bikes and pedestrians from the Brooklyn Bridge all the way up to 72nd Street and Central Park.

Jenn and I were able to take advantage of the fun two weekends in a row (Kurt joined for one). We rode our bikes from Brooklyn and parked them on the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge. Then we took the train up to 72nd Street and ran all the way back down (with many pauses in between).

It was super fun but crazy hot! (Maybe it would have helped if I got my butt out of bed earlier on a Saturday morning to beat the heat!) I was a sweaty mess by the end of it.

My favorite part of the route (other than the rest stops with water and free stuff) was running up the ramp at Grand Central. It's a definite car-only zone without sidewalks, so its a place you would never otherwise get to see on foot. Plus, I'm a sucker for Rocky-type moments of triumphantly reaching the top of a hill :)

There were lots of stops along the route, including a rock climbing wall, free bike helmets, aerobics classes, and a zip line! Maybe I'll work up the courage next year...

Of course all that exercise earned us a sizable brunch, right? We tried Building on Bond one week and Dekalb Market the other. Thankfully both have outdoor seating for sweaty, disgusting patrons like ourselves.

Check out Summer Streets next year. We had such a blast! It's not even Labor Day and I'm mourning the end of summer already!